The Mets fell to the Dodgers 4-3 on Saturday night at Citi Field, but it was two blown double-play opportunities and a critical throwing error that really sealed their fate. This one stings hard, truly.
The Defense Collapsed, And It Was Brutal
Nolan McLean looked absolutely electric early, picking up right where he left off in his last few outings, retiring the first six Dodgers he faced over the first two innings! But then in the third, Kyle Tucker crushed his second homer in as many nights, a shot off the right-field foul pole. That’s when things went sideways. LA added two more runs in that same inning, and you can absolutely blame the defense. New York blew *two* potential inning-ending double plays. Brett Baty made a crucial throwing error, and Francisco Alvarez allowed his *eighth* passed ball of the year, forcing in the third run of the game. McLean did rebound for a scoreless fourth, but the Dodgers got another two-out run in the fifth. He loaded the bases with one out in the sixth, clearly running out of gas, but a lineout double play saved him. He ended up giving up four runs, but only two were earned, thanks to that defensive mess. Seven hits, two walks, seven strikeouts too.
Offense Had Its Chances, But Just Couldn’t Capitalize
The offense? They had chances, plenty of them, even against Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who wasn’t exactly at his sharpest. But they just couldn’t cash in early, going a combined 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position. Seriously, they stranded a pair in both the first and third innings, then went down in order in two other frames. Brutal. They almost squandered another opportunity after two singles to open the fifth, but Bo Bichette came through with his second two-out hit of the game to finally get them on the board. In the sixth, they got the leadoff man on with a six-pitch walk, but the next three guys went down, quiet as a library. Yamamoto ended his night with just that one run allowed on five hits, three walks, and four strikeouts.
Late Rally Falls Short After Duarte Shines
Amidst all that, Daniel Duarte was a total bright spot out of the bullpen. He threw really well in relief of McLean, working around a two-out single in the seventh. Then in the eighth, he pulled off a sick strike-him-out, throw-him-out double play to get out of trouble after a hit by pitch. This dude still hasn’t allowed a run across five big-league appearances this season! Incredible. The team was awfully close to failing to deliver one more time in the eighth after a walk and HBP to open the inning, but this time, the red-hot Tyrone Taylor stepped up. Coming off the bench, he absolutely laced a two-run double off closer Tanner Scott to cut the deficit to one run! Electric! But it just wasn’t enough. Taylor became the 11th man left on base, and after a quiet ninth, they finished a truly frustrating 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Andy Pages, with just one hit, still managed to drive in two of LA’s four runs and took home Game MVP. Talk about a gut punch.
Now, they’ve got to regroup fast after this one. Freddy Peralta takes the mound against Emmett Sheehan in the series finale tomorrow, Sunday, at 1:40 p.m. This team needs to tighten up that defense and start cashing in on those scoring chances if they want to avoid losing the series.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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